Abreu scores on Davis wild pitch, White Sox beat Royals
Wade Davis bounced a wild pitch that allowed Jose Abreu to dash home with the game-ending run, and the Chicago White Sox rallied in the ninth inning to beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Sunday on a call that left the Royals fuming.
Kansas City led 3-2 when Tim Anderson doubled off Davis (0-2) leading off the ninth.
Adam Eaton sacrificed and, with the infield in, Yoan Moncada lined a run-scoring single to center. Abreu was hit just above the left elbow by an 82 mph knuckle-curve.
Yermin Mercedes singled sharply to right and Whit Merrifield, a second baseman making his second appearance in right field this season, made a throw on the fly to catcher Cam Gallagher. Moncada, sliding headfirst, was tagged out near the left shoulder.
Abreu, injured Friday in a collision with Hunter Dozier, dashed home when Davis bounced a knuckle-curve off Gallagher, and Davis' 21st pitch of the inning ricocheted about 15 feet up the first-base the line.
Gallagher retrieved the ball and made a leaping tag attempt. Abreu missed the plate with his left leg but got his left arm on the the plate just ahead of Gallagher's mitt.
Second-year big league umpire Edwin Moscoso signaled safe, and the call was upheld after a video review.
"We were talking about all his attributes," White Sox manager Tony La Russa said of Abreu. "Now you have to add outstanding instinctive baserunning. It's a great play."
Royals manager Mike Matheny, though, strongly disagreed with the game-ending call.
"If we're going to use video replay, there needs to be some accountability," he said. "I just walked in here and had two different camera angles with this guy out - tagged before he ever even touched the plate. Very obvious. I don't know what they're doing, backing each other up. Whatever it is, it's wrong."
Matt Foster (2-1) struck out two in a perfect ninth. completing a six-hitter that gave the Sox a four-game split. The Royals had lost their previous four series, going 1-12 in that span.
Adam Eaton homered for AL Central-leading White Sox, which has not lost consecutive games since April 15-17.
Salvador Perez, who left Saturday's game in the eighth with left groin tightness, went 1 for 2 with a walk as the Royals' designated hitter.
Perez hit a sacrifice fly in the first off Dylan Cease, who allowed an unearned run and 3 hits in 5⅔ innings.
The Sox went ahead in the fifth when Eaton hit a 2-run homer off Brady Singer, who gave up 2 runs and 7 hits in 6⅓ innings.
Kansas City took a 3-2 lead in the seventh when Aaron Bummer relieved Codi Heuer with two on, Merrifield hit a tying single and Carlos Santana followed with a sacrifice fly, a drive Eaton leaped to grab at the fence in right.
"Any way we can get a win is a win," Eaton said. "Winning at all costs, whatever it takes."